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>> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> multimillion pound payouts for our group of four more ees.tanamo bay to jeanniedetain un peacekeepers are blamed for the cholera epidemic in haiti. an author is imprisoned for insulting the judiciary. coming up later, at least 50 killed after a four story building collapses in the indian capital. turning taliban fighters into farmers. is a peace deal edging closer?

the british government is reported to have reached a summit with a group of former detainees at the american guantanamo bay detention center who claim that british security services work implicit in their torture. the men are being paid compensation which could stall several million pounds. the aim is to avoid a lengthy court case that would put the british secret intelligence services under the spotlight. >> the most well-known of the men was detained in pakistan in 2002. she was then flown by the americans to morocco where he claims he was brutally tortured and asked questions submitted to the americans by british intelligence officers. he is one of six former detainees to a bin at suing the government for colluding in

their mistreatment while they were being held on suspicion of terrorism overseas. the case has become a headache for the government and the agency's mi-5 and mi-6, with intelligence officers plowing through records. the ministers have decided to settle, and after negotiations, the government has agreed to pay out millions of pounds to the men and half a dozen others whose miss treatment may have been witnessed by berdych personnel. >> thank you, mr. speaker. >> in july, the prime minister announced an inquiry into the allegations. part of an attempt to draw line under an episode that has caused damage to the reputation of mi-5 and mi-6 and a deterioration in the intelligence sharing relationship with america. >> there have been violent protest in haiti against u.n.

peacekeepers. some local people have blamed them for the cholera epidemic that has killed a 900 people, even though tests of cleared the trips of being carriers. tear gas dispersed demonstrators >> with the epidemic know is sweeping the country, anger and fear turned to violence directed at the un in this northern city and another based elsewhere. many patients believed that peacekeepers were the carriers of the disease. the u.n. admitted that the situation is deteriorating and a briefing to new york's headquarters. >> the government accepts this is far beyond a sanitation matter. it is an issue of environmental concern. it is an issue of national security, and where we have demonstrations starting already against cholera treatment

centers. >> this is the first outbreak in haiti and has caused great anxiety and confusion. even these vendors are affected. people are afraid the fish are unsafe because the disease is caused by dirty water. can it is spreading. aided by the countries poverty and poor sanitation. 10 months after the devastating earthquake, hospitals are once again overwhelmed. the un says there are no cases in every province. up to 200,000 people could be taken ill, although not all seriously. the dominican republic is not taking chances. afraid the disease will spread it beyond haiti, it is stopping haitians from crossing the border, even though the un is doing its best to contain the cholera. the un was prepared for waterborne diseases after the earthquake, but given the history of color in the country, it was not expecting something like this. it has an appeal for millions of

more dollars to treat the disease and to stop it from spendireading. >> at least 51 people are not known to have been killed after a four story building collapsed in delhi. emergency workers are still trying to find survivors. >> pulling survivors from the rubble, rescue teams worked tirelessly to save those buried in the debris of the building. the multistoried structure came crashing down in neighborhood on the eastern side of delhi, killing dozens and injuring many more. >> car reached here around 8:30 p.m. at the building had collapsed -- i reached here around 8:30 p.m. people pulled out children and men trapped in the debris. there were lots of people to record >> machinery has been brought in to clear away the rubble, while rescue workers are

also using their bare hands, looking for those who have been trapped. amongst the rubble, personal belongings. some say the building here was a very old and occupied by laborers. there are claims the foundations may have been weakened by flooding during the monsoon rains. and inquiry into what went so badly wrong has been promised. it is the latest building to come down in india, where for construction is often to blame. the rescue effort continues, but people still are thought to be buried underneath the rubble. >> a court in singapore has sentenced a british author, alan shadrake, to six weeks in prison for assaulting the judiciary in a book he wrote. he was fined more than $15,000. joining us from bangkok is the bbc's report. welcome. give us the background to what

has taken place here. >> alan shadrake wrote a book called "once a jolly hangman." a detailed cases that says it justice has been denied. he is very critical of the singapore government for using the death penalty, and he goes into the innermost details of several cases there. he says -- that judiciary has come back and said this is an insult and that he has been acting in contempt of court. >> he has this jail sentence and he has been fined, so singapore is taking this seriously. could it go further than this? >> the singapore government has a habit of taking this kind of criticism very seriously. it has previously prosecuted journalists and news organizations. it has imposed heavy fines. it says it needs to take this kind of approach to ensure that

it can rule effectively. but, of course come out human- rights groups would say that the singapore government uses criminal definition clause as a way to silence dissent heard >> is there any truth in what this author, alan shadrake, has been saying in his book? >> i think that would be very difficult for any of us outside of singapore to judge. he goes into the details of cases where drug dealers, in some cases, had been let off. he alleges that that is because they knew the right sort of people. he mentions other cases where people were prosecuted too harshly. she is motivated by his strong hatred of injustice, he says. the singapore government says that he has acted with a total absence of good faith, and the details are simply wrong. >> what's alan shadrake's

future? is he likely to stay in singapore? >> i doubt if you wish to. he has been kept in singapore since his arrest in july because the government was holding his passport. he is 76 years old, and she is very ill. his lawyer was just telling me that he has colon cancer. he cannot afford to pay the fine, it is 9,000 pounds. they are very disappointed that there has not been more support for his case coming from britain. >> reporting for us live from bangkok. many thanks carrot the chinese authorities now say at least 49 people died in a huge fire that engulfed a high rise apartment building in shanghai on monday. more than 90 others were injured. many retired teachers lived in the block which was under renovation. reports say the fire began in building material and spread up the bamboo scaffolding.

the british prime minister david cameron says that foreign policy must become more commercially driven if it is to carry weight on the international stage. in his annual foreign policy speech, he said that weakness at home could translate into political weakness abroad. the debt crisis affecting two european countries is once again raising concerns about the stability of the year is on. ministers in ireland to deny that they are looking for an eu bailout, but they confirmed that they are in contact with the european commission about the deficit. >> in dublin tonight come up preparations for the holiday season, but our land is the eye of the storm and the current year as own country. many believe it cannot cope with its debt without a bailout.

the irish government continues to insist it can. >> i have a job to do, which is to ensure we do the right thing by the country. that means in terms of our national decisions and in terms of how we conduct our international obligations as well. >> the pressure is mounting on ireland to accept arrested. uncertainty over their debt is damaging their economies and the contagion is spreading like wildfire. so i could -- could the u.k. and the killing for a bailout 0--- paying for the bailout? the u.k. has contributed just over 30% of the fund. so if ireland was to borrow and a fault, that could mean a u.k. liability of 7.8 billion euros. the markets remain on edge, and

it did that help today degrees bailed out earlier this year, revealed that its deficit is much higher than previously estimated the irish believe that there are certain measures are working. with the markets spooked over our step, the government in dublin is insisting that no bailout is necessary. we can work the bailout ourselves, is the message, and many would regard the bailout as a loss of irish financial independence. paul lost his job and the construction industry last week. jerry is in a civil servant job. she has seen your incomedivided by. >> down at least. we been doing so well. we really were coming out. it seems like we're going back to the early 1980's. you're going backwards in time. >> i visited a technology college. students here know that unemployment is close to 14%.

immigration has returned to ireland. in a class of students, i discovered just how many are prepared to lead. how many of you here might consider emigrating from ireland to find work? put your hands up. almost everyone. ireland, has embraced austerity but big doubts remain and tomorrow europe's finance ministers will once again grapple with the crisis in the euro zone. >> stay with us. ahead on the program, there is unrest in the west african country of guinea as a winner emerges in the first reelection since independence. a british couple are about to return home after an agonizing 388 days held captive by somali pirates. the ransom had to be paid twice.

the british government was insisting that they paid no money. >> for rachel and puaul chandler, the last 48 hours a been a whirlwind. flown to safety in nairobi. today, paul had to cope with sadness. he learned that his father died in july when he was being held captive. they issued a statement saying that they needed time to adjust to the situation. asked the media to give us and our family some space. warn torn somalia has become a haven for pirates. ransoms are going up all the time. over 400 sailors are being held for ransom, but the british government insists it never pays. today it said no part of britain's aid budget has ended up in part hands -- in

pirate's hands. the chandler family declined to speak about the ransom, but we do know in june that an air drop like this one was made. it contained over a quarter of a million pounds, but the pirates demanded more. it is widely believed that the second ransom was paid. we do not know by whom. some say by somali expatriots. the chandlers knew little of the negotiations to get them out. they are now preparing for their journey home to britain, for a life together that was nearly torn apart. >> our headlines for you once again. a group of former guantanamo detainees say the british security services were complicity in their torture are

set to receive millions of pounds in compensation. violent protests in haiti against u.n. peacekeepers. they are blamed for the cholera epidemic. now, we are going to take you to the heart -- it has been taking place since sunday. millions of muslim pilgrims are descending from mount arafat and are beginning a slow trip back to mecca. the pilgrims began arriving in the first doppler. stop. pilgrims traditionally collect pebbles for the next day symbolic stoning of the doubl. evil. the next day is the feast of

sacrifice and it has been marked by a deadly stampede into. so far this year, all has gone well. live pictures from mecca. now, the british foreign secretary said there would be no backtracking on plans to withdraw all u.k. forces from combat roles in afghanistan by 2015. his comments come days before nato unveiled a new strategy. this report from poehl would. >> these are some of the most dangerous men in afghanistan. taliban fighters brought to the u.s. military's new prison. the new jail is designed to wipe away members of the past prisoner abuse. nato wants to win over the afghan people. that starts with the taliban themselves. the americans have to rehabilitate them. so insurgency was planted bombs are now being taught how to plan

sunflowers. according to one estimate, 80% of the taliban fight within walking distance of their own homes. many because they do not have jobs. the aim is to give these men skills and alternative to taking up arms once again. will bread baking class is get the insurgents to switch sides? we cannot interview the detainees, but some taliban are deeply ideological. taliban o meet a commander in kabul. the capital is under government control. the insurgents can still come and go. 900 fighters in one of the provinces. the line is simple -- no peace negotiations until the americans leave.

>> my advice to the american is, if they love their lives, their families are suffering from the presence here, they should go. as long as one american remains in afghanistan, we will not stop our jihad. roadsideyou plant bombs to kill americans, often you kill civilians. >> we are doing our best to avoid civilian casualties. most of the time, we do not do it in civilian areas. we stopped using suicide bombers to try to reduce civilian casualties. >> a rag tag army, perhaps, but in places the taliban are in charge. the insurgents create their own administration, along with makeshift checkpoint.

even with in government ministries, there are taliban loyalists, and they are getting the records like this man. a civil servant by day, a volunteer by night. >> i joined the taliban because of what the americans are doing to the country. they break down doors and the middle of the night. they kill innocent people they have -- they have occupied our country. >> one of the things is their ability to recruit people. in the early stages, people said that fighting your way out is not the answer. there is a propensity for them to be able to recruit what they need. there has to be a political dialogue in these conflicts. not a military solution. >> a military fight south for ex-prisoners.

after years in prison, they are going back to their families. it is too soon to know if there will also return to the taliban. paul wood, bbc news, kabul. >> now, with taliban supports a strong and some parts of afghanistan and pressure growing for international forces to leave soon it, what hope is there for a negotiated solution to the conflict there? the leaders of the insurgency do not speak with one voice, and the leadership itself is split. we spoke to one former taliban minister who is a founding member of the organization. >> night falls on this the city of deal making. there are new ones a foot and much of it is happening behind closed doors. there is a palpable shift in the political mood he is a founding member of the taliban and has

been a close associate of its leader. he is not a spokesman but says he is ready to talk. >> -- what is going on. >> that taliban? >> the taliban. yes. i think this is the best time to come -- [unintelligible] >> the problem and the reason for the conflict is that al qaeda was a stick. he claims even that once unbreakable link is non- negotiable -- al qaeda was once based here. >> if al qaeda want to stay here, this country will be for afghans. it will be not for any foreigner to roll this country -- to rule this country. >> this is really important. you are saying that the taliban

would give a guarantee that this country would not be used as a base for an attack on any other place. >> yes. i am 100% sure. the foreigners should do the same job. >> whether or not he is right about their willingness to break their links with o'connor remained open to question. what is clear is that if talks were to take place, and nato could well play a crucial role in bringing the key players together. in fact, nato is already supporting the early stages of the dialogue. there are direct contact between people in the government authorized by president karzai to conduct these kinds of talks, with something akin members -- some significant members of the insurgent groups. >> in this process, what does britain have that is special to offer? >> we have experience at this.

we made some difficult choices ourselves at home in the good friday accords in bringing peace to northern ireland. people found it very difficult on both sides to accept people from the other side within government, and yet it was possible. we bring that experience and we bring the knowledge that it is possible in the end to bring together people who have fought each other and in many cases have been responsible for terrible act. >> is it possible that the taliban that presided over the country in such a brutal fashion might once again share and his government? it seems that for people battered and broken by war even that prospect is worth considering. >> the electoral commission in guinea says preliminary results show that alan shadrakealpha cos won.

his opponent described the election as fraudulent. the poll is considered to be the first democratic elections since guinea gained independence in 1958. it was delayed twice between -- because of clashes between the two candidates that come from the two largest ethnic groups. suu kyi has told the bbc that her aim is for a peaceful revolution in burma. the military government should not fear her or her supporters. [unintelligible] and you can watch the exclusive interview with suu kyi on bbc minutes time.n a few the british government has

reportedly reached a settlement with former detainees at guantanamo saying that the british government was -- british intelligence was implicit in their torture. this is are we wrap up "bbc world news". >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. ♪

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